Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack visited a state-of-the-art bioindustrial facility in Pennsylvania on Friday, where he announced $25 million to fund research and development of next-generation renewable energy and high-value biobased products from a variety of biomass sources. “USDA’s continuing investments in research and development are proving a critical piece of President Obama’s strategy to spur innovation of clean bioenergy right …
Now is the Time to Invest in Renewables
The renewable industry remains abuzz about the American Tax Payer Relief Act that included the extension and modification of energy tax provisions. The tax extenders make investing in the renewables industry and in energy efficiency technologies a good move. Why? The firm of Faegre Baker Daniels LLP put together a brief overview of several key provisions that aid the industry …
U.S. Energy Initiatives to Build Biodiesel Plants
U.S. Energy Initiatives Corp (USEI) has signed a letter of intent to form a joint venture that will provide support to build several small scale biodiesel plants in California featuring Methes Energies Canada’s Denami 600 technology. Methes Energies Canada is a biodiesel equipment provider and biodiesel production. Collaboratively, a biodiesel plant will be built in Southern California with a nameplate …
You’re Invited – Green Guides Webinar
What’s it mean to be “green,” “non-toxic” and “renewable”? You’ll will be able to answer these questions after participating in the upcoming webinar: FTC ‘Green Guides’: Implications for biodiesel and biobased communications being held on January 17, 2013 at 1:00 CST. During the webinar, participants will learn what the Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) revised “Green Guides” mean for biodiesel and …
Just in – Results from 100% Biofuel Jet Flight
The results are in from a flight powered by 100 percent biofuel. According to data released by the National Research Council of Canada (NRC), ReadiJet reduced emissions and provided better fuel efficiency than petroleum aviation fuel. ReadiJet is produced by ARA and Chevron Lummus Global using feedstocks developed by Agrisoma Resonance. Information collected in-flight on October 29, 2012 was analyzed by …
Renewable Fuels Legislation Crib Sheet
Although the Taxpayer Relief Act is an all but done deal, stakeholders across numerous industries continue to pick at the legislation. This is particularly true for the renewable energy industry. Legislation can be hard to digest and so the law firm Milbank, Tweed, Hadley & McCloy created a “crib” sheet, or alert, giving a brief overview of how the Act …
Students Earn Scholarships to Futher Biodiesel Education
Several students from around the U.S. will get a hands-on biodiesel education during the National Biodiesel Board’s Annual Conference: Momentum, February 4-7, 2013 in Las Vegas. Sixteen young college scientists were selected to receive scholarships to the conference, a program the National Biodiesel Board views as a long-term investment. “There is tremendous potential for this NBB program to have a …
DOE Awards Novozymes $2.5M
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has awarded Novozymes an award of up to $2.5 million to find new and more efficient enzymes for turning corn stover into fuel for cars and trucks. The specific project that was awarded funds by the DOE is called ‘SynTec,’ and is a two-year collaborative project between Novozymes and MBI. The companies will screen …
Abengoa US Formed
International company Abengoa has announced the creation of a new American subsidiary, Abengoa, US, which will be responsible for all its business in the country. The formation of the new subsidiary supports the company’s strong commitment to the U.S. market. According to the company, Abengoa US has assets in excess of $5.8 billion, more than $1.7 billion in shareholders’ equity, …
Sweetwater and Ace to Produce Cellulosic Ethanol
A cellulosic sugar producer in New York has signed a deal with an ethanol plant in Wisconsin to begin commercial production of cellulosic ethanol. Sweetwater Energy signed a long-term commercial agreement with Ace Ethanol to generate cellulosic ethanol at the ACE corn ethanol facility for up to 16 years. According to Sweetwater officials, the company’s “patented, decentralized process will convert …

